Frank Lampard made many visits to Old Trafford in his playing days but on Tuesday he'll make his first appearance there as a manager. The Chelsea legend will be reunited with former boss Jose Mourinho in one of the headline clashes of the League Cup’s third round. Lampard has made a solid start to life as a manager but this will undoubtedly be his biggest challenge yet. The visiting Rams are the huge underdogs but Old Trafford is not quite the fortress it once was.

The EFL Cup won't be high up the list of priorities for the Red Devils this year but Mourinho won't be quick to pass up the opportunity of some silverware. He won the competition during his first season as United boss back in 2016-17, becoming the first United manager to win a major trophy in his first season, whilst he also guided Chelsea to this trophy a number of times.

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Man Utd News: Bright future predicted for Dalot

The young fullback Diogo Dalot shone during United's 3-0 victory over Young Boys on Wednesday. Slotting in at right back, the United debutant showed plenty of defensive awareness as he, and the rest of the Red Devils’ back four, nullified their Swiss opponents. After the game Jose Mourinho announced that his fellow countryman could be a mainstay at the club for the next 10 years. There's a good chance the 19-year-old defender will feature here, making him one to watch out for.

United often beaten by plucky underdogs

The last four teams to have eliminated United from this competition are Bristol City, Hull, Middlesbrough and Milton Keynes. Three were plying their trade in lower divisions while the only exception, Hull, were relegated the same season. Even the Red Devils are not immune from their fair share of humbling losses, something which will no doubt give Championship outfit Derby confidence on Tuesday night. On the other hand, these past defeats may just sharpen the performances of some in the home ranks.

Alexis fallen out of favour

A poor display from Alexis against Watford proved to be one bad game too many for boss Mourinho who kept the Chilean on the bench for United’s opening Champions League clash. The ex-Arsenal man was not missed at all during the 3-0 win in Switzerland and he’s in danger of being a regular fixture on the bench if he continues to play poorly when on the pitch. He may be given the chance to show what he can do here though and the 29-year-old will need to seize the opportunity if so.

Derby News: Lawrence misses out through suspension

Having started the season so impressively, Tom Lawrence would have been making a strong claim to be in the starting line up at the Theatre of Dreams. The Welsh winger is serving the final match of his suspension though, his punishment for a reckless challenge on Rotherham’s Richie Towell. Florian Jozefzoon took up his place on the left flank in the goalless draw with Blackburn but the Dutchman is a much bigger threat on the other side of the pitch.

Rams the stars of the second round

Leicester were the only other side who registered a win of four goals in the last round but they had a benefit of facing a side two divisions below them. Derby had no such luxury, handed a tie away at fellow Championship side Hull. They tamed the Tigers though and in some style too during the 4-0 rout. Lampard is clearly keen to take this competition seriously and he'll be after another strong showing when his men take to a bigger stage. A win at Old Trafford could really give his players the belief to press for promotion and Lampard will be keen to see how they react on the big stage.

Analysis: United to flex their muscles

Mourinho will certainly be rotating for this match but don’t expect some fringe youth players to turn up at Old Trafford. The Portuguese boss will be able to name a strong side while sparing a few of his more fatigued players. Any combination of the likes of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial or Alexis could all feature for a United side that will be stronger on paper than any Derby can field.

Derby cannot be underestimated

While the Rams might not have what it takes to pull off an upset this Tuesday, Frank Lampard’s men will make a game of things at Old Trafford. They thoroughly impressed during the last round and will give everything to claim a huge scalp against one of the big boys of English football. United’s quality should tell in the end but their margin of victory is unlikely to be great against a battling Rams outfit. At a price of 13/5, the hosts to win by exactly one goal is not something to be sniffed at.

Under 3.5 goals

Anyone expecting this game to be a goal fest could end up disappointed. Mourinho has seen stark improvements in is side’s defence since they were humbled 3-0 at home by Tottenham. The jury is still out on whether they will be resolute against top sides but against a Championship team, the Red Devils shouldn’t be overly troubled. Derby themselves have shown a good deal of quality at the back lately too, particularly when keeping a clean sheet against Blackburn. With United not known for being overly adventurous, under 3.5 goals at odds of 8/15 appears to be a safe option.

Recent Matches

These two sides do have history in the League Cup, meeting in the semi-finals of the 2009/10 edition. Derby were victorious in the first leg, their first home win over the Red Devils since 1989. United turned the tie on its head in the second leg though and haven’t lost a game against the East Midlands outfit since.

5th January 2018: Man Utd 2 – 0 Derby

For the third time in nine years, these two sides prepared for an FA Cup tie against each other. It was the most evenly contested of the trio as with 83 minutes played the scoreline remained goalless. United boss Mourinho named a strong side for the tie but needed Belgian star Romelu Lukaku to come off the bench to make sure of the result.

29th Jan 2016: Derby County 1 – 3 Man Utd

Having lost to Southampton days before this game, Louis van Gaal claimed he had offered to resign but the Dutchman took to the dugout as normal. His side’s performance helped ease a fraction of the pressure on him as they recorded their first two goal victory in 15 matches. Van Gaal would continue to hang on as United boss but only till May when he was finally given the boot.

15th February 2009: Derby 1 – 4 Man Utd

The match at Pride Park was one largely dominated by United. Half an hour in, Nani opened the scoring and goals from Darron Gibson and Cristiano Ronaldo followed either side of half time. Miles Addison did pull one back but any lingering hopes of a comeback were ended when an 18-year-old Danny Welbeck curled one in.

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